


Beyond the Rift

by petals_and_bones



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Fluff, F/M, GIANT ROBOT COMBAT, Jaegers (Pacific Rim), Kaiju (Pacific Rim), Post-Canon, Slow Burn, Uprising? Who's she? I don't know her, lots of bickering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 22:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29750199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petals_and_bones/pseuds/petals_and_bones
Summary: Following the end of the Kaiju War, your future as a Chief Engineer for the PPDC seems uncertain. That is, until you find yourself at the center of the earth's next catastrophic threat.And worst of all, you're facing it alongside the one Kaiju groupie who pisses you off more than anyone else in the world.
Relationships: Newton Geiszler/Reader
Kudos: 2





	1. Nothing Ever Changes

**Author's Note:**

> I finally watched Pacific Rim and it's become my new hyperfixation. More specifically, I would die for Newt.  
> Also important to note that this takes place after the events of Pacific Rim and slightly copies but does not at all follow the events of Uprising. 
> 
> All of the giant robot combat and none of the favorite-characters-going-rogue! Let's get into it!

_ The champagne cork erupted with a loud ‘pop’ and a huge, fizzing cloud of foam. A loud, raucous cheer emanated from the surrounding personnel in the control room. It was a party to end all parties; the entirety of the Hong Kong Shatterdome was celebrating the destruction of the Kaiju Rift. _

_ Someone thrust a fizzing metal cup full of champagne into your hand and clapped you on the shoulder, to which you just grimaced and slugged it back in a couple of gulps.  _

_ You felt a little out of place, wedged between all the military uniforms and control room techs. You’d always felt much more at home down in Gipsy Danger’s bay, tinkering with the mechanics inside of her hull and running diagnostics on her operation systems. But you had been allowed into the control room to watch your creation go down into the Rift and save the world. _

_ To make things worse, people kept  _ crowding  _ you. Hands would clap you on the shoulder or your upper back, arms would pull you into a tight hug, your name was on the lips of every person in the room at least once. After all, you’d been Gipsy Danger’s chief engineer. Your presence was an important one. So you met each grin with a half-smile, accepting handshakes and hugs as passively as possible. You’d done it. Hooray. _

_ It wasn’t that you weren’t  _ happy, _ you got into Jaeger engineering for the sole purpose of fighting Kaiju, but it was safe to say that you didn’t necessarily feel like celebrating. The last eight years of your life, all of your sleepless nights and small technical triumphs, had been reflected in that mech. You loved her, almost like your own child. Between that and the untimely deaths of Stacker and Chuck, your heart just wasn’t in it. _

_ Opting instead to passively watch your compatriots in the throes of joy, you told yourself you’d slip away at some point and make it down to the docking bay to avoid the festivities. _

_ And then, as if the universe itself wanted to drive you crazy, the one person you’d hoped not to see was suddenly two feet in front of your face. _

_ “So, how’s it feel knowing that listening to the Kaijus turned out to be a  _ good _ thing?” Newton Geiszler slurred in your direction, somehow already sloshed despite how recently the celebration had begun. His hair was wildly askew, barely-focused eyes squinting behind his cracked and broken glasses.  _

_ You clenched your jaw, swallowing the urge to punch him in his mousy little face. “It’s good to see you too, Geiszler.” _

_ “Ya know, y’know... “ He hiccuped, “the Jaeger were just toy soldiers. We had-ta get inside the MINDS of the Kaiju to understand ‘em!” He pecked on the side of his head with an insistent finger, grinning from ear to ear. The gash from his run-in with the infant Kaiju was still oozing blood from his forehead, and he wiped absentmindedly at it before poking you in the chest. “So- so all those times ya told me that the Kaiju were jus’ lizards, you were WRONG! I was- was RIGHT!” He swayed in place with a satisfied smile, waiting on your reaction. _

_ You crossed your arms, fixing him with a hard stare. “It doesn’t surprise me that you could understand those oversized amphibians. You probably have a comparable level of intelligence.” _

_ Newt’s pink cheeks deepened into a scarlet red, and you saw one of his green eyes twitch. “You… you…” He muttered between clenched teeth, small hands balling into a pair of fists. “I take that as a compliment! At least I’m not some grease-monkey putting together giant Gundam figurines!!” _

_ “Wanna call me that again?” You asked coolly, though you could feel the veins in your neck straining with the effort to keep from punching him in the face.  _

_ “I’ll call you worse things!” He exclaimed, rolling his sleeves up past his elbows. _

_ “Alright,” you uncrossed your arms, popping your fingers loose with a series of loud, intimidating cracks. “I’m gonna do violence to ya.” _

_ “Hey, hey, hey!” Another familiar voice interjected, and suddenly a pair of hands were pushing between you and Newt, who were now standing practically nose-to-nose. Hermann tittered disapprovingly, trying his best to keep a grip on the situation. “There has been far too much violence already today, we are supposed to be  _ celebrating,  _ not killing each other!” _

_ The tense silence stretched for several seconds before Newton took a step back, adjusting his glasses and fixing you with a hard look. “... fine.” _

_ “Sure.” you responded darkly, lowering your fists.  _

_ Hermann nodded, looking surprised with himself that his peacemaking tactic had worked after all. Slinging an arm around Newt’s shoulders and steering him away, you could see him scolding his companion under his breath. Newt gave you one last look and, in the most immature act you thought possible, stuck his tongue out at you before he was escorted out of sight. _

_ You leaned back against the wall, face hot with adrenaline. If nothing else, the end of the Kaiju War meant you’d never have to deal with that crackpot mad scientist ever again. _

~*~

You wiped the mix of sweat and engine grease from your brow, sitting back on your haunches and admiring your handiwork. A couple of the old Jaeger weapons had been sitting in storage gathering rust, and you’d not-so-subtly snuck them back to your quarters to refurbish them.

The pair of Mark-3 chest cannons now sat gleaming across a long scaffold, each about fifteen feet long. It had whiled away a couple weeks’ worth of work, if nothing else. You still worked in the Hong Kong Shatterdome, keeping your position as Chief Engineer and biding your time keeping the remaining Jaegers in working order.

It had been a little over two years since the Kaiju War ended, and the war clock in the main distribution bay still sat at 00:00:00 to commemorate the event. Ever since Stacker’s death, the PPDC had been in uneven hands until Mako Mori had stepped up as Secretary-General and now focused most of the organization's effort on training new cadets. 

Needless to say, the production of new Jaegers and the days where you were in charge of restoring mechs like Gipsy Danger were things of the past. 

You stripped off your gloves, placing them on your tool cart and standing up with a grunt. The vertebrae in your spine loosened with a collection of juicy, crackling pops and you winced.  _ ‘I hate sitting so still.’  _ You worked the rest of the stiffness from your limbs, loosening your neck and shoulders, before stepping away from your work and going for the heavy metal door of your quarters.

The corridors outside were distinctly emptier than they used to be, with a few fellow engineers passing by you here and there. The clanging of your work-boots against the metal floor echoed against the near-claustrophobic walls of the corridor. You found yourself missing the sounds of intermingling voices, the far-off rumbling of machinery, the sounds of  _ life.  _ Since the end of the war, there had been a distinctly smaller population aboard the Shatterdome. On the bright side, there was never anyone around to get in the way of your work.

As you made your way up to the hangar, where you know Mako could usually be found, it took you several minutes to realize that there was a continuous stream of large, yellow tanks being wheeled past you through the narrow corridor. Most of them had glistening, gooey lumps of purple swelling and pulsing just beyond the glass.  _ ‘Must be for the K-Science lab,’ _ you thought,  _ ‘though with a convoy like that, I would almost expect to see-’ _

“Yeah, just make sure they’re wheeled down to the elevator! Careful with the bumps!” 

_ ‘... him.’  _

Your face soured when the familiar, insistent voice came echoing down the corridor from the threshold beyond. 

Sure enough, as you weaved and bobbed your way through the row of moving tanks, around the corner stood Newt. 

You hadn’t seen him since the end of the war, but he hadn’t changed a bit. His hair still jutted out in every direction, collar rumpled under his worn leather jacket. He gestured wildly with his hands, barely able to keep still. 

“Well, well! Look what the cat dragged in!” You called out, the trace of a sarcastic smile tugging at your lips. Newt’s head snapped in your direction, and his face went through a series of expressions before settling on something bordering contempt. He said your name with no small amount of disdain.

“It’s… been a while.”

“And I’ve enjoyed every second.” You teased, ducking around another tank and walking over to clap him on the shoulder. “I thought you were posted over in MegaTokyo. What brings you back here?”

“Well, I was, but…” he gestured passively at the unending parade of caged Kaiju innards. “PPDC finally got ahold of Chau’s stash and said I could be in charge of repurposing it for research.” 

“Ah.” You crossed your arms, inspecting the organs with a raised eyebrow. “Well, I can show you the way to the incinerator if you need to take them where they belong.”

Newt closed his eyes, exhaling hard through his nose. “Why do you always do this?”

“Oh, even better, a compost pile! That’s the only place this toxic sludge deserves to go.” You doubled down, loving the way his face started to turn pink whenever the two of you fought. 

“You  _ know _ how important it is to my research, and it’s better here than on the black market! At least I’m not still stuck in the Shatterdome putting together tanks because we don’t need Jaegers anymore! Gee, I wonder why that is?” He pointed at himself, voice rising with self-importance. “Oh yeah! It was me! So why don’t you keep your comments to yourself?”

_ “You  _ never would have been able to get to that Kaiju brain if it hadn’t been for the Jaeger that  _ I  _ rebuilt, you ass.” You growled, clenching your hand into a fist. God, he had a punchable face. “Check yourself, fanboy.”

“Oh, I am  _ so sorry _ that I  _ offended _ you, Bob the Builder. Where’s your hard hat? Up your ass?”

“You wanna take this outside, half-pint? Who do you think programmed those hand-to-hand protocols that beat the shit out of your precious lizards?”

By now the assistants moving Newt’s tanks had slowed to a stop and were staring at the two of you, jaws slack. You and Newt barely acknowledged them as you got in each other’s faces, the name-calling and threats reaching a fever pitch. It had been barely ten minutes in one another’s company, and the two of you were already close to blows, when you heard a loud throat clear behind you and wheeled around. 

Mako Mori stood beyond in the corridor, arms crossed. “Can’t I leave you two alone for one second without you trying to kill each other?”

“Hey, she started it.” Newt muttered indignantly, adjusting his glasses as he stepped away from you. “I’ve gotta move the rest of this. ‘Scuse me.” With that, he shot you a snide look before storming down the hall after his cargo. Mako watched him go, then turned to you.

““So. I see you found Newton.” She said, raising an eyebrow. You scoffed. 

“It’s not my fault he has a lizard fetish. Why’d you allow him to bring all of that stuff back here, anyway? Gives me the creeps knowing I’m sleeping in the same building as a bunch of Kaiju guts.”

“You know how he is.” Mako offered a semi-sympathetic smile. Gesturing you to follow her with a gloved hand, she turned and began walking down the hallway back in the direction of her quarters as you followed suit. “Why do you two hate each other so much, anyway? Did something happen?”

“Ugh. You could say that.” You shoved your hands into your pockets, grimacing. “We just don’t get along with each other, is all. I hate Kaiju and he’s in love with them. Used to drive Hermann crazy every time he wanted to show me something in K-Science, cuz Newt and I would  _ always _ start arguing. We only got into a real fight once.” You smiled at the memory. “I wiped the floor with him.”

“Hmm.” She pondered over your words quietly, hands folded behind her back. Her mannerisms mirrored that of her adoptive father, so much so that you found it a little eerie sometimes. “I think you should give him more of a chance. You two are probably more compatible than you might think.”

“Spoken like a true peace-maker.” You teased, knuckles brushing her shoulder in a good-natured nudge. She returned it with a tight-lipped smile. 

The two of you walked alongside each other in silence for a little while, past the entrance to K-Science and the training chambers, and several minutes passed before she spoke again. “I have some good news.”

“The mess hall is serving yakisoba again?”

She rolled her eyes. “Not  _ that _ good. But close. I’ve been speaking with some representatives from the United Nations. They want us to start increasing our output.” You raised an eyebrow, unsure of what exactly that meant. 

“Well, I’m always happy to be working more, but if they want more military tech, I’m not sure if I-”

“I need you to start designing a Mark-6.”

You froze in place. For a few seconds, the only sounds were the far-off rumbles of machinery in the docking bay. Even your breathing slowed nearly to a stop. Mako slowed, eyeing you over her shoulder to gauge your reactions. Emotions swirled through you as her words sunk in- excitement, nervousness, doubt. When your brain and your mouth finally re-engaged, you could only manage two words.

“... you’re joking.”

She smiled slightly. “No jokes. They won’t tell me why just yet, but they asked for a prototype schematic of a Mark-6 Jaeger. It seems we aren’t so useless after all.”

“I-” your mouth moved wordlessly, lips curling into a wide smile. “That’s- holy  _ shit,  _ Mako! I-I don’t… that’s amazing!” You laughed, grabbing your hair with both hands and spinning in a tight circle. Your celebration was cut short by a sudden sense of apprehension as you wheeled back around to face her, smile faltering. “Wait, wait. How soon do they need it?”

“How long can it take you?”

“I-I mean…” you gestured aimlessly. “A week, tops? Four days if I don’t sleep.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary. They’re giving us a month to make a complete prototype design. Can you get it done by then?”

Excitement made your heart surge in your chest, the muscles in your face aching from how wide your smile had gotten. It was like Christmas, Halloween, and your birthday all rolled into one. After a whole year of idly tinkering on old, broken-down Jaegers, this was  _ exactly _ the chance you’d been waiting for. Even the residual sourness from crossing paths with Newt faded as you grabbed Mako’s hand, shaking it vigorously.

“Boss,” you said happily, “I won’t let you down.”


	2. Our Own Worst Enemy

You stood up from your drafting table, neck and shoulders sore from being locked in the same position for so long. With a long exhale, you loosened all the locked bones and muscles with a series of pops and cracks, and then stood back to observe your handiwork. 

The Mark-6 Jaeger prototype had been an absolute bitch to draft. Despite your life-long appreciation for the critters, you were a little rusty at building them from scratch. The final design you’d settled on was a little more streamlined, more focused on agility and mobility than all the bells and whistles. The anti-Kaiju tech, as Mako had told you, wasn’t necessary- but you still had a few of the old familiar tricks under your sleeve. Segmented sword attachments for hand-to-hand combat, and a fighting style that was more reminiscent of martial arts than any kind of heavy brawling. 

Satisfied with what you’d accomplished, you grabbed the stack of schematics and rolled them clumsily under your arm. In the back of your mind, you could almost hear Hermann scolding you for still relying on the physical media rather than just 3D-mapping them in a hologram. You’d just always preferred working with your hands.

The thick metal door to your quarters eased open with a heavy creak, and you made a mental note to oil the hinges later as you kicked it shut behind you and began the long walk up to Mako’s office.

As you walked along, you rehearsed your pitch in your head. Mako wasn’t a hard person to talk to, especially not about engineering, but the new designs had a couple of updates that you weren’t too sure she would be jazzed about. As much as you loved the traditional mechs, you’d always looked ahead to the bright future of Jaeger production as a chance to broaden their collective horizon. Without the risk of Kaiju, you had much more room to make your own adjustments. And make them you had.

You just hoped she would be able to see things your way.

Managing to clumsily hit the elevator button with your elbow around your armful of papers, you stepped between the rattling doors. As they began to close, an old, familiar voice called to you from the corridor beyond. “Hey! Hold the doors!”

“Wha-” you jammed your foot between the elevator doors as the owner of the voice shouldered his way in, nearly tripping over his feet in the process. When he stood back up, you were astonished to see how unchanged he was. “... Herc?”

Hercules Hansen righted himself, straightening his worn shirt and flashing you a winning smile. You chuckled, stunned, and slung your free arm around his shoulders in a warm greeting hug. He smelled like wood-smoke and cologne. 

“Oof- it’s good to see you too, Tink!”

Tink, short for Tinkerbell, was a nickname that his son Chuck had given you back in the golden days. Somehow he found it very funny to name the intimidating, buff Jaeger engineer after a Disney fairy, and the nickname still stuck with most of the Jaeger pilots.

“What the hell are you doing in this dump, old timer?” You said warmly, hand still resting on his shoulder as you pulled away from the hug. He shrugged, gesturing vaguely. 

“I’m in Hong Kong on business. Figured I would come by and see the old place while I was here. Besides, Mako told me on the phone that you were designing some new Jaegers and I wanted to check ‘em out for myself.”

“Well, you’re in luck.” The rolls of paper rustled noisily under your arm. “I’m on my way up to show her the final product right now. You have any idea why the UN wants new ones?”

Herc rubbed at his facial hair thoughtfully, his calloused hand rasping against the scruff. “Can’t say I do. Maybe it’s above our paygrade.”

“Oh, please. I brought Gipsy back from the grave almost single-handedly, there’s no way they’d keep that kind of information from me.”

“Hah!” He clapped you on the back. “I see that ego of yours hasn’t changed either, Tink.”

You rolled your eyes, adjusting your grip on the armload as the elevator doors ahead of you rolled open. “It’ll be a chilly day in hell before that ever happens, Herc.”

The upper levels of the Shatterdome were in a much nicer condition than the floor where you resided. There weren’t half as many rust or water stains on the metal walls, and the lighting was less likely to flicker every time a heavy wave crashed overhead. You glanced at the smooth glass panes lining the walls with no small amount of jealousy as you and Herc walked down the hall toward Mako’s room. He was the one to knock first.

“Come in,” you heard her muffled voice say. Your companion held the door for you as you shouldered your way in.

Mako had redecorated her father’s old quarters, adorning the walls with hanging scrolls and massive ink paintings. Against the far corner stood Stacker’s shrine, a framed military portrait of him from his Jaeger piloting days with a pair of smoking incense sticks in front of it. In the center of the room stood an immense metal table. Mako sat at the far end, focused intently on a sheet of paperwork. 

She glanced up at you and Herc, smiling slightly. “I see the two of you found each other as well.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Herc responded politely, sliding her door shut. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Not at all. I was hoping to have you here for this.” She stood up straight, sliding the stack of paperwork off to the side and addressing you. “What do you have?”

Not wasting any time, you unceremoniously dumped the schematics onto the table and rolled them out individually. Herc let out a low whistle from behind you, Mako circling around the table’s corner to see them for herself. A long moment passed as they parsed your design, looking closely at each page.

Mako was the first to speak. “I have to say, I was expecting something more…  _ American.” _

“Hey, now, just because I worked on Gipsy doesn’t mean I wanna make her all over again.” Your tone expressed levity, but deep down you could feel apprehension twisting your insides. Her approval was the only thing standing between you and your dream of making Jaegers again. “These are more streamlined. Less inclined for the kind of hand-to-hand we needed for the Kaiju.”

“I see you kept the swords.” Herc pointed out, gazing appreciatively at the gauntlet design. You smirked. Classic Herc.

They scanned the schematics for a little while longer before Mako stood up straight, nodding slowly. “I think the UN will like these. How do they adapt to scale?”

“We can make ‘em as big or small as we want.” You said, the bundle of nerves in your core loosening. This was going well. She nodded again, then looked back down at the schematics and paused.

“And where do the pilots go?”

_ ‘Here we go.’  _ You sighed, trying to quell the surge of adrenaline that suddenly gripped you like ice. “Um, well… they don’t need pilots.”

Both of their heads snapped up, and they looked at you as if you’d suddenly sprouted horns. Herc’s mouth moved wordlessly. 

“No  _ pilots?” _

You swallowed dryly, trying to keep your cool. This was your vision, they weren’t going to ruin it. “Well, erm- no. They won’t have pilots. I designed them to be remote.” 

Mako blinked several times, before carefully picking the pages back up and rolling them tightly. 

“No.”

A combination of anger and desperation sent blood roaring in your ears. “Come on, Mako, give them a chance. We don’t  _ need _ pilots anymore! A remote Jaeger would be more efficient and have less of a risk of failure!” 

Herc looked at you as if you were insane. “Are you saying human pilots aren’t trustworthy?”

The tiniest shred of guilt reared its head as you looked at his wounded expression. You buried it under your frustration. “What I’m  _ saying _ is that Drift technology and human pilots are outdated. We wouldn’t have to risk having any more people in the line of danger! They could be operated from a distance and no one would get hurt!”

Mako made a sharp  _ tsk _ sound. “You obviously have no idea how important it is for pilots to be operating a Jaeger, then.”

The frustration expanded into full-blown rage. You narrowed your eyes and slammed both hands on the table, unwilling to be ignored. “Listen to me. I was in charge of Gipsy Danger. I saw  _ firsthand _ how death in the Rift can fuck with a pilot’s head. Do you want the same thing that happened to Raleigh to happen to every pilot that enters a Jaeger? We have the chance to make sure no one else ever dies inside of a mech in the line of duty, and you’re just holding on to something that makes you feel significant!”

Mako’s head whipped up at the sound of Raleigh’s name, her eyes venomous. “Without a pilot, a Jaeger is just a machine.”

“What’s wrong with machines? Without Kaijus, the worst enemy we have is ourselves! If we take human pilots out of the equation, we don’t have to risk any imperfection!”

Herc crossed his arms, evidently conflicted. “I don’t know, Tink. Jaegers were  _ made _ to be operated by human pilots. How are you so sure they can work remotely?”

You flashed him a hard look. “I know they will, Herc. I just have the Defense Corps’ best interests at heart.”

The room’s atmosphere stayed tense, the argument ceasing as Mako stood still. She narrowed her eyes and looked back down at the rolls of schematics in her arms. At length, she thrust them back into your grasp and took a deep breath.

“Draft out your research. If the UN approves of the remote design, we’ll experiment. If not, you’re off the project indefinitely.”

There was no warmth to her tone. It was obvious she thought you were going to fail. But the immense determination in your core said otherwise, and you just gave her a wry, humorless smile. “They’re going to approve, Mako. I know they will.”

“... I hope you know what you’re doing.” She responded coldly, wheeling around to walk back to the head of the table. You left her and Herc in her quarters as you stormed out into the main corridor, back in the direction of the elevator.

Your Jaeger was going to be approved. It had to be.

~*~

Your quarters were already dark by the time you made it back. As you flipped the lights on and sat back down at your drafting table, spreading the rumpled schematics across the flat surface, you rubbed the aching pinpoint between your eyes. 

What did they know? It was typical of a couple of ex-Jaeger pilots to think that they were always going to be necessary. But you  _ knew _ you were right. They just needed to give you a chance. They needed to understand that times  _ change. _

Now it was just up to you to prove your vision was what the PPDC needed to move into the future. 

You weren’t sure how long you sat there quietly seething, but all of a sudden there were a series of resounding knocks on your door. With a sharp exhale, you squeezed your eyes shut and clenched your teeth. It was probably either Mako or Herc, coming back to shit on your design a little bit more. 

“Come in.” You called out, voice dripping with contempt.

The door creaked open with a metallic whine that set your teeth on edge. 

“Please, you don’t have to sound  _ that _ excited.”

You froze, opening your eyes just a crack to make sure you weren’t hearing things. Sure enough, Newt was standing in the open threshold, his hands awkwardly fumbling with his tie. You two stared at each other for a few tense seconds before he cleared his throat, running his fingers through his hair. “Am I, um… interrupting?”

Despite your sour mood, you couldn’t help but smile at the irony. “Rare of you to pay me a visit.”

“Well, I mean, I…” He barked a nervous laugh, his movements bordering on erratic as he walked in and shut the door behind him. “Uh, I just- thought I’d stop by and… it’s, um, been a couple weeks.”

“Get to the point, Geiszler.”

Newt blinked with surprise at the sound of his last name, one of his eyebrows twitching slightly. “I wanna... apologize. For the things I said.”

You slowly sat up, leaning forward until your elbows were propped on your knees, and fixed him with a hard look. Your lips quirked in a humorless smile. 

“What?”

“I said I wanna apologize.” His voice sounded thin, strained, like he was unsure of his own words. “What’s wrong with that?”

“You never once apologized to me before, you have no reason to now.” You hauled yourself into a standing position, crossing your arms. “Why are you really here?”

The mood in the room instantly shifted from tense to dour as Newt frowned. That was, seemingly, not what he wanted to hear. “You’re not making this any easier. I’m…” He huffed impatiently. “I’m  _ trying _ to tell you that we should, like… ugh. Bygones should be bygones, y’know?” He lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, folding his hands, unfolding them, fiddling with them a little bit, and finally crossing his arms to keep himself still. 

You watched all this with a skeptical raise of your eyebrow. “You really think I’m gonna just put everything behind us after  _ years _ of ridicule? Get bent, lizard boy. I need to work.” You turned back to your draft table and smoothed out your schematics without even giving him a second glance.

Newt made something that sounded like a shrill squawking noise in the back of his throat, his cheeks turning pink. “That’s- I- You-” He stammered incoherently, uncrossing his arms. “... Fine! See if I ever try to be nice to you again!” His shrill voice cracked as he pointed an accusing finger at you, spinning on his heel and storming out of your quarters. 

The door slammed shut with a resounding rattle that made you wince.

As you sat in the now-silent room, the quiet pressing in on your ears in the absence of Newt’s boisterous voice, something kept nagging at you. You felt…  _ guilty. _ But why? You were right, there was no way he could just apologize for being a dick for so many years. And besides, you were certain he had some kind of ulterior motive for seeking you out. 

If there was one thing that you and Newt had in common, it was pride. He was far above apologizing for the hurtful things he said, and he would probably always belittle your opinions. That Kaiju-lover couldn’t see past his own ego.

Then again, neither could you.

With a heavy sigh, you took up a pencil and got back to work. You had more important things to worry about than hurting Newt Geiszler’s feelings. Though even as you told yourself that, the guilt hung over you like a thick fog. Maybe you were the one who owed him an apology. Maybe you would go find him tomorrow and hear what he had to say.

The endless ‘maybes’ swirled around inside your mind as you worked through the night. It was a long time before dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned how much I love writing Newt's dialogue? He's so snippy, I love it.


	3. JOANA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is gonna get real handsy-onsy with the lore and Drift tech, so I'm hoping I haven't made any mistakes. Forgive me, Del Toro.

Sparks crackled and flew past as you knelt on the scaffold, welding the last joint of your mech’s complicated steel breastplate. The electric spikes of white and blue glowed against the unyielding material of your welding mask. You gnawed the skin your lower lip between your teeth as you worked; a long-standing bad habit that you’d often been scolded for by your colleagues.

The last of the metal dry and cooling, you lifted the welding mask off and shook out your hair with a long sigh.

It had been a long few weeks. Your last encounter with Mako and the UN’s review of your schematics kept playing over and over again in your head, like a track on repeat. They were the only things that really occupied your busy mind while you worked on the mech.

~*~

_ “Could you explain again the necessity of the remote controls?” _

You folded your hands behind your back, resisting the urge to roll your eyes. This was the third time you’d been asked to describe the purpose of their lack of piloting, and you were ready to bang your head against the wall rather than answer the same question again.

Mako stood silently beside you, looking unflinchingly up at the wall of screens, each with a different country’s representative staring down at you. You took a deep breath. “Human piloting is effective, but brings with it a number of risks. We have to worry about the validity of pilots being Drift-compatible, or potentially losing their lives in the field and rendering the Jaeger useless. The negatives outweigh the positives- if nothing else, this was proven by the untimely deaths of former pilots Stacker Pentecost and Chuck Hansen.” 

Mako flinched at her father’s name. You plowed ahead, determined to get your point across.

“If we release a Jaeger without human pilots, it would be a lucrative evolution of the technology. I assume the use would not be as extreme as taking down a Kaiju, and therefore we would also be risking fewer lives.”

_ “I see… which brings me to my next point. Secretary-General Mori, we would like to address the intended purpose of these new Jaegers.”  _ The Prime Minister of the UK spoke up over the quiet techno-murmur. 

Mako stood up to attention. “Yes, sir?”

_ “Well, you see…”  _ Through his feed, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  _ “It has come to our attention that the public has been… on edge since the closing of the Breach two years ago. As such, we would like to introduce the presence of Jaeger as additions to law enforcement for major world cities, for starters, and expanding later on.” _

You narrowed your eyes, speaking entirely out of turn. “You want to militarize your police tech?”

The Prime Minister tittered at your insolence.  _ “That is an oversimplification.” _

_ “If nothing else, it is a last bastion of security in case we ever have another Kaiju-level threat.”  _ Another voice interrupted- a quick swivel of your head revealed that it came from the Chief of the MegaTokyo Police Department.  _ “You, of all people, should understand the importance of this level of defense. It will keep the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps funded for the foreseeable future, with the possible sanction of re-opening the old Shatterdomes.” _

You and Mako exchanged a sidelong glance. She cleared her throat. “Do you feel as if what we have to offer would be suitable?”

_ “How soon can you have a prototype ready?” _

A few seconds passed as it dawned that they were talking to you. “Oh. I can have one built in less than six weeks- that is, if you want it to have the software uploaded as well.”

_ “That will be satisfactory.” _

You plastered on a fake smile as Mako discussed the last of their business, and then the comm was disconnected with a flash of static. The moment the screens emptied, you let out a long, pent-up sigh and turned away from Mako. 

You didn’t want her to see your triumphant smile.

~*~

And  _ boy,  _ did you have the prototype ready. You leaned back against the wall, letting the metal cool the droplets of sweat that had been pooling on your shoulders from the work. The hull of the mech was completely finished with a week and a half left to go, and you had to admit to yourself- you’d done a killer job for someone working solo.

It stood about twenty-five feet high from toe to crown, the unpainted steel glimmering in the warm light of the docking bay. A cavernous hole remained open in its broad chest, just waiting for its preliminary nuclear power core. The intricate overlay of armor panels replicating human musculature would have made Michelangelo jealous. Stripping your work-gloves off, you allowed yourself a long, self-satisfied sigh.

The next step was to work on the software.

You pulled an old rag off of your tool cart with a whisper of fabric against metal, wiping at your forehead and shouldering your way through the privacy curtains around your construction zone. The few engineers and workers who dotted the docking bay all gave you sidelong glances as you walked past- Mako had offered to give you an assistance team, but you’d denied her, explaining that you could handle the whole thing yourself.

She was trying to repair any damage she’d done in dismissing your design. You were just trying to prove her wrong.

The walk back to your quarters was slow and uneventful, giving you plenty of time to ruminate on the next stage of the prototype. While your initial design had given room for human remote operation, there was something that had been nagging at you the entire month you’d spent building the hull. 

_ ‘Allowing humans to pilot it remotely still has room for error,’  _ you’d reasoned with yourself,  _ ‘There has to be some way to automate the entire process.’ _

The solution had been right under your nose all along. As you pushed open the door to your quarters, the monitor on your work-table lit up with a series of welcoming electronic ‘dings’. A familiar, modulated female voice said your name warmly. 

_ “Welcome back.” _

“You know it’s kind of weird when you wait for me to come back like this.” You responded coolly, shutting the door with your hip. The monitor glowed a pure white, with a concentric blue circle spinning in its center- not one entirely dissimilar to the nuclear core you’d designed for Gipsy Danger.

_ “I am simply initiating my greeting protocol.”  _ With every undulation in tone, the circle spun like a kaleidoscope.

Okay, so maybe you hadn’t spent  _ all  _ your free time working on the Mark-6 prototype. In the evenings after you left the docking bay, you’d been reprogramming and improving Gipsy Danger’s old AI, not really for any other reason than boredom. And then, a couple of weeks into the prototype construction, you’d had an epiphany.

Humans wouldn’t have to control the remote Jaegers if there were an AI to do the job. 

In lieu of a proper name, you’d also decided to give her a proper title along with her capability improvement. Instead of “Gipsy Danger’s AI”, you’d given your creation the moniker: “Jaeger Operations and Neural Adaptation.”

JOANA.

Sure, it was trite, but you figured anything that used personal pronouns deserved a name.

“Okay, JOANA,” you began, plopping down in your computer chair and spinning it in a tight circle, “Call Hermann Gottlieb for me.”

_ “Calling Hermann Gottlieb…”  _ She said coolly, the circle on the screen spinning slowly before twisting open to reveal Hermann’s contact photo as it rang him. The screen rang twice before he picked up, his worried-looking face filling your monitor.

“Hey-hey, Egghead!” You exclaimed, tucking your hands behind your head and rocking back in your chair. “What’s happenin’?”

Despite his initial annoyance at being interrupted, his lips betrayed a small smile at the sound of your voice and he muttered your name in greeting. “What’s so important that you need to call me like this? You know I hate video calls.”

He also wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about them either, judging by the way he was leaning way too close to the camera. 

“Just needed some input on something, G-man.” Picking up a pen from your desk and balancing it idly on the tip of your finger, you decided to throw all caution to the wind. “The PPDC’s got me designing some new Mark-6’s. I don’t know if you heard.” 

“Mm, I did.” He said politely, rifling through some offscreen paperwork. The sound of rustling pages crackled through your speakers. “Congratulations, by the way.”

“Well, about their design… if I were to, say, control them with a remote AI rather than a human pilot, how could that work on a large scale?”

One of his eyebrows twitched and he looked at the camera, lips drawing in a tight line. “Is this a… hypothetical question?”

“That’s classified, G-man.”

“Hmm.” You watched as he thought it over, one of his slender fingers tapping the side of his monitor. “That’s a… complicated query. On the kind of scale like the Jaeger would need, especially if there were a fleet of them, you would be looking at something akin to a…” He gestured vaguely with his hands, peering at you over his glasses. “I suppose you could say a cloud-based hive mind. I’m not sure if that would work for the Jaegers.”

You raised an eyebrow. “It worked for the Kaiju.”

“Well, yes…” He took off his glasses, sighing heavily as he tried to place his words. “But the Kaijus’ hive mind was  _ organic,  _ it would be hard to replicate in a way that was entirely, er…  _ technical.” _

He made a good point. You fiddled with your pen, narrowing your eyes as you put the pieces together in your mind. “So if there were an organic component, it could work?”

“Precisely. Well,  _ maybe.  _ You’re still talking about using a single artificial intelligence to control a wide spectrum of mechs. That’s a pretty risky jump, even for you.”

“Hey, now, I thought we agreed this was a hypothetical question.” You grinned playfully at the camera. Hermann just rolled his eyes and put his glasses back on.

“Well, as much as I would like to help you further, you know I’m still in Germany on business, er…” You could tell he was hesitant to ask, but he still did. “Perhaps you should talk to Newton about it? Isn’t he still there?”

_ “Ugh, Hermann.”  _ You groaned, tossing your pen at the monitor. It bounced off your webcam with a small ‘tink’. “That’s the reason I called you instead. You think I really want to talk to him about this?”

“Now, now. I know the two of you haven’t had the best history.” He smiled wryly. “Believe me, I know better than anyone how…  _ abrasive _ he can be. But I mean it when I say he’s a good man who just wants to do the right thing, and he has the knowledge to help you.”

“If I promise to call him, will you try to keep from breaking your arm jerking him off?”

Hermann bristled slightly at your language. “Hrm. Seems like you have your work cut out for you. Let me know how it goes.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Catch ya later, Egghead.” You gave him a mock-salute, to which he responded with a tight-lipped smile before hanging up. 

In the now-silent room, you reflected on Hermann’s response. A hive-mind could only work with an organic component. Several things came to mind, and you knew you weren’t going to be able to test the validity of any of them without the primary expert on the Kaiju hive mind himself. Sighing heavily, you turned back to your monitor.

“JOANA, call Newton Geiszler.”

The circle spun thoughtfully.  _ “There does not appear to be a ‘Newton Geiszler’ in your contacts.” _

“Wha-” You began to argue, then interrupted yourself with a short laugh. Of course, how had you forgotten? 

“My bad, Jo. Call ‘Lizard Lover.’”

~*~

Newt was at your door in less than ten minutes- a considerable feat, given the distance from your quarters to K-science.

The moment he burst through the door, he just stared daggers at you before pointing another accusing finger. “You’re trying to give the Jaeger a  _ hive mind?” _

You barely looked at him over your shoulder, turning back to your work on JOANA’s software. “Ever heard of knocking?”

“Fuck that! What are you thinking?!” He slammed the door shut, marching over to your table and hopping up to sit on the side. The monitor rattled with the impact, and you gave him an annoyed look. He ignored your face, instead finally taking the time to notice the numbers splayed across your monitor. “The hell is all this?”

Reluctantly you sat back, gesturing to the monitor. “Newt, this is JOANA.”

The strings of numbers were briefly replaced by the AI’s blue circle.  _ “Hello, Newt.” _

Newt’s expression twisted up in a combination of awe and horror. “Is- Is that Gipsy Danger’s AI?”

“It was,” you responded, going back to typing, “But now it’s JOANA.”

“That’s a stupid name.”

“It’s an acronym, dumbshit.”

Before the argument could gain too much traction, Newt huffed impatiently and hopped off of your desk. “So you’re planning on turning  _ that _ into a  _ Jaeger hive mind?” _

“Only if you’re willing to help me. So can the insults for a little while, would ya?” You input the last few strings of code before switching off the monitor, spinning your chair around to face the frazzled-looking man. “Now, Hermann said something about an organic component to make it similar to the Kaiju. Can you elaborate on that a little bit?”

He blinked. “Well- yeah, of course. The  _ Kaiju _ hive mind was based organically, like he said. They had a boss who would transmit neural signals through the Breach and basically turn them into killing machines.” He began gesturing with his hands, the desire to argue with you overridden by his passion for Newt-splaining. “So as long as the brain in charge could relay simple commands, all the Kaiju on earth would follow their instruction.”

You nodded attentively, taking in the flurry of information. “I see… like the mothership from Independence Day?”

Newt visibly cringed, his splayed hands curling momentarily into fists. “As much as I  _ fucking hate _ that comparison, yeah, like the mothership from Independence Day.”

“But we don’t  _ have _ anyone in charge of the Jaeger like that.” You said quietly, eyebrows furrowing. The whole thing was beginning to seem hopeless. Newt, on the other hand, just shrugged.

“Sure we do. We have you, right?”

Several moments of silence passed between you as you just stared at him, trying to figure out if he was joking. But his expression was just as clear and earnest as ever. 

“... you’re not  _ serious,  _ are you?”

“‘Course I am. You designed the Jaeger  _ and _ the AI. If anyone could stand that kind of neural uplink, it would have to be you.”

“Huh…” You spun your chair back around to look at the monitor, catching sight of your reflection in the darkened screen. It made a lot of sense. You were the only one with a vision for the future of the Jaeger, so why couldn’t it be you running the show? That way you could also be sure that no one would misuse them.

You looked back at Newt, who stood in place, slightly rocking on his feet. “Wouldn’t that be too much for a human brain?”

He shrugged again, shaking his head slightly. “Not really. That’s the bonus about the Jaegers being man-made. You could hook your brain up to that little AI you programmed and run a whole fleet of them with basic commands, if you really wanted to.”

You stared at him, not understanding. 

Newt sighed. “Look. It’s just a basic separation of different parts of the brain. When pilots Drift to control the Kaiju, they’re connecting  _ everything-  _ modern brain, primal brain, all of it. That’s why Kaiju pilots share their memories and stuff. But if we created a neural conduit that plugged into the  _ back _ of your brain…” He gestured at the back of his head, twisting his fingers in his messy hair, “... like, the hindbrain or the medulla, you would barely have to pay attention to it. The AI could fill in the gaps and all you would have to do is tell it to stop and when to go.”

You had to say, he was doing a stellar job of selling the whole idea. You gnawed on your lower lip, thinking it over, before looking up into his eyes and giving him a small grin.

“Where do we start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He can Newt-splain all he wants to me awwww yeeeeaahh


	4. The Next Drift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, all! Thank you to those of you reading- special shoutout to visitors from my tiktok who asked to be linked to this fic. Enjoy!

The whole night, you and Newt were too busy to argue once. 

He helped you draft out a basic design for a neural connection with JOANA, a tiny electronic panel no bigger than a fingernail. The two of you had agreed that it would be best for you to get it surgically implanted before introducing the prototype to the UN the following week. At some point he muttered something about being able to do a better job himself than some surgeon, but the idea of having Newt Geiszler anywhere close to your exposed brain gave you the heebie jeebies. You made plans to contact a surgeon in MegaTokyo, and that was that. 

“Well,” Newt leaned against your desk, giving you a sidelong glance, “You’re gonna be, like, a proper cyborg. That’s pretty fucking cool, man.”

“I guess it is.” You responded softly, just amazed that you’d been able to work out such a sensible solution with the one person you hated most. His normally-punchable face was beginning to even look a little friendly. 

“And besides,” he replied, fiddling idly with the same pen you’d been messing with earlier, “Hermann said a couple of times that he was worried about you. After the whole ‘We Don’t Need Any More Jaegers’ thing, he said you seemed kind of… mopey.”

You smiled slightly, leaning back in your computer chair and tucking your hands behind your head.  _ “He _ was worried, huh?”

Newt cleared his throat. “... yeah, of course he was. But still… I don’t think the neural uplink will be too bad for you. And anyway…” he shot you a smile that looked almost  _ playful, _ “it would be a big weight off my shoulders if your head exploded.”

“You’re such a dick.” You muttered, looking away from him as a dim flare of warmth lit somewhere in your core. He had a nice smile.

Newt walked over to your drafting table, scanning the schematics for the Mark-6s. One of his nimble fingers traced the drawing of the hull delicately. You noticed that he was wearing nail polish. “I don’t, um… I’m a little out of my element here. How do these new ones work?”

“Oh, that?” You pointed at the drawing of the hull from your chair, and the portion you drew that was exposed to reveal the innards. “Well, the muscle fibers of the old ones ran on diesel engines, but I’m rerouting some of the channels. Figured it was best to leave everything up to the power core.”

“... I have six doctorates and I still have no idea what you just said.” He responded, eyes scanning the drawing of the Jaeger. 

“That’s okay, I couldn’t tell you the difference between a Kaiju’s ass and its face.” You responded playfully. He smirked a little. 

The two of you were quiet for a few awkward moments after that until you cleared your throat again. “So, um… Newt.”

“What?” He responded offhandedly, still distracted by the schematics. You took a deep breath, unsure how to approach the subject that had been weighing on you for most of the evening.

“When you… showed up here, a few weeks ago, and said you wanted to apologize. Were you being honest?”

Newt’s head snapped around, his eyes meeting yours for a brief second, before he coughed and looked away. “I mean,  _ yeah,  _ of course I was. Why wouldn’t I be?” His tone was thin and uncertain, and he followed his vague statement with a nervous laugh. You pursed your lips.

“I can tell when you’re lying.”

He huffed again, crossing his arms. You watched his tattoos flex as he fidgeted, unsure of how to answer. “I-” he cut himself off with a sigh. “It’s not that I  _ don’t _ want that, but… you know that Kaiju brain I salvaged from Chau’s stash?”

You tilted your head, confused, then realization dawned on you and made your face go slack. 

“Oh, Newt. Not again.”

“Just  _ one _ Drift! That’s all I need!” His voice cracked as he held out his hands, as if he were trying to grasp something out of his reach. “You’re the one with all the access to the tech, you could get me the equipment!”

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” You responded, standing from your chair and moving in closer to him. “Newt, the Kaiju are  _ gone!  _ What’s the point in even trying to Drift with one again?”

His cheeks turned pink as he stammered incoherently, running his hands through his hair. “Because- Because there’s still so much I don’t know about them! You people get to tinker with your robots as much as you want, if- if I don’t take advantage of what I’ve got, the Kaiju remains are gonna be gone! I can’t let that happen!”

You scoffed, crossing your arms. “You are unbelievable. I don’t know why I expected anything less from a fucking  _ lizard lover.”  _ The last word came out venomously as your gaze met his. He looked like a puppy that had just been kicked.

“Look, I’m not asking for anything more than a quick Drift. Just one.”

You tried to bury the guilt you felt under rage. “You’re ridiculous. If you keep trying to Drift with the Kaiju you’ll get yourself killed! It was a two-time thing and, frankly, I don’t think you ever fully recovered!”

“But I did recover, and I know I could do it again!” He was past pleading and was starting to get angry. You rolled your eyes. This was  _ exactly  _ fucking like him, to risk getting himself killed for the sake of another Drifts. You felt an absurd pang of something- was it jealousy?

“If this is your only motivation, then… then…” you stammered, fury making it impossible to process your words. “Then I wish you’d gotten yourself killed in that first fucking Drift!”

That was it. The last word. Newt flinched- he visibly  _ flinched  _ away from you, his eyes swimming with emotion. “I…” he began to retort, but then gave up, hands lowering to his sides. You two stared at each other for several long moments before he turned, silently, and made his way for the door. 

“... I’ll find someone else who will do it for me.”

He hesitated, hand on the door, seemingly with nothing more to say. And then he was gone. The door shut behind him, leaving you standing still with two quivering fists.

For several moments, you were alone with the room’s familiar silence.

_ ‘Fucking idiot,’ _ you thought darkly, taking deep breaths to try and calm yourself down,  _ ‘Motherfucking idiot. What gives him the right to think he can get himself killed like that?’ _

You looked away from the door, determined to get back to work and not focus on the red-hot fury that was setting your insides ablaze. Yet, as you turned, your gaze caught the scribbled notes he’d written about the neural implant. 

_ ‘He went out of his way to come help me.’  _ You told yourself reluctantly.  _ ‘And the moment he asks me for something, I run him out.’ _

_ ‘But it’s different!’  _ Another voice chimed in,  _ ‘If you help him, he might fucking die!’ _

_ ‘Why do I care if he dies?’ _

_ ‘Why do I care about him at all?’ _

Your thoughts went back and forth in a volley of accusations, and all you could do to quell them was cover your eyes and take several deep breaths.

In the haze of your emotional overload, you remembered a conversation that you’d had with Hermann long ago, before the end of the war, after you and Newt had gotten into your one and only fistfight. 

_ “Newton sees a kindred spirit in the Kaiju,”  _ he’d said,  _ “It may seem like he’s obsessed with them, but that’s only because no one else really bothers to understand him or his interests. It’s our responsibility as the people around him to keep him grounded, or else they may take him away completely.” _

At length, you groaned, squared your shoulders, and marched over to the door to haul it open. 

Newt had barely made it around the corner of your corridor. You could still hear the receding echoes of his boots against the metal floor. With the kind of hesitation you would feel jumping out of a plane with no parachute, you ran after him. 

It took you no time at all to catch up- he was almost at the elevator when you ground yourself to a stop. 

“Okay, fine.”

He froze mid-step, almost looking over his shoulder at you, but stopped himself before he could meet your eyes. “... what?”

“I’ll…” you huffed. “I’ll help you with  _ one _ Drift. That’s all. If you try any more after that, I’ll report you and blacklist you from the tech.”

He was quiet for a minute, face still turned away from you. You thought you saw him swipe at his eyes, and you heard a faint sniffle. When he finally looked back at you, his eyes were a little red. But still, he gave you the same, snarky grin he always had. 

“Now, that’s more like it.”

~*~

A week later, you found yourself back in Mako’s quarters, staring down the PPDC logo on the row of monitors against her wall. Your fingers kept idly brushing the rippled patch of healing scar tissue at the nape of your neck, where the implant had been put in a few days before. 

“You look nervous.” Her voice was gentle and reassuring, despite the many hours you’d spent arguing with her about the Mark-6’s. You looked over your shoulder to see her fiddling with her uniform, straightening out every crease in an attempt to look professional, and smiled a bit.

“Not nervous, just… figuring out how I’m gonna restructure my life if this fails. Might go out west and work on cars.”

She chuckled at that, buttoning the last clasp on the cuff of her sleeve before walking over to stand beside you. “Well, I’d be lying if I said that I thought this was a good idea. But it’s not my decision anymore. And besides…” she placed her hand on your shoulder, “no matter how I feel about your designs or the way you engineer the Jaegers, you’re still my friend.”

You returned her smile. “Thanks, Mako.”

The monitors buzzed and came to life with a shuddery wave of static, forcing the two of you to stand at attention. The wall of UN officials popped into view. 

_ ‘No going back now.’ _

_ “Secretary-General Mori,”  _ The UK Prime Minister began,  _ “We received the files containing the details of the new prototype.” _

Mako nodded abruptly, sending a ripple through her bob of dark hair. “I’m glad to hear it. What are your thoughts?”

Several pairs of eyes turned to regard you. The U.S. President cleared his throat, obviously wanting to take over.  _ “I have to say, miss…” _

You politely told him your last name.

_ “Uh, yes. The images and scans that we received are quite promising. I believe that we can do quite a lot with this new Jaeger design. Can you specify how exactly they work?” _

“Gladly, Mr. President.” Your military training took over, keeping your face and tone neutral. It wasn’t the time to act haughty. “The Mark-6 Jaeger is designed to be controlled remotely by an AI of my own construction, the Jaeger Operations and Neural Adaptation. JOANA for short.”

There was a smattering of laughter. You plowed ahead, unwilling to let these people make you look like an idiot.

“I am connected to JOANA via a neural link that’s been implanted into my brain. The controls are isometric and respond only to my commands. JOANA takes care of all the details...” You gave a wry smile. “I’m essentially the on/off switch.”

The President nodded, folding his hands and leaning forward on his desk.  _ “And why should we trust you with full control over these Jaegers?” _

“With all due respect, Mr. President, you and your cohort trusted me with the reconstruction of Gipsy Danger. If you hadn’t, I doubt we would be standing here to discuss this matter.”

He blinked, taken aback, and you saw Mako smirk out of the corner of your eye. 

_ “... Alright. Well, I’ll hand it over to you, Chief Kohn.” _

_ “Thank you, Mr. President.”  _ MegaTokyo’s Chief of Police cleared his throat, addressing you and Mako both.  _ “To put it simply, we approve of the new designs and would like to move forward with building a fleet to defend MegaTokyo. After a six-month period, if all goes well, we plan to roll out a fleet of the Mark-6 Jaegers for every major city that’s connected to the United Nations, extending even beyond the borders of the Pacific.” _

You weren’t sure what to feel. Shock, excitement, and fear all pooled in your stomach and held themselves, tense. Was he lying? He had to be making it up, right?

Mako’s voice was muffled, working out the details with the UN officials in a senseless babble that didn’t matter to you anymore. They could be built on time. They  _ would _ be built on time. The future of the PPDC had been handed to you on a silver platter, and it had been approved.

You’d done it.

You barely acknowledged their collective farewell with a respective nod, and the moment the comm link ended, you looked over at Mako with wide eyes. Her expression was unreadable.

“I… We did it.”

She nodded slowly, remaining otherwise motionless. “Yes, I suppose we did.” Her voice was thin and reedy as she turned away, walking toward the meeting table in the center of the room. Her shoulders squared themselves as she leaned against it. At length, letting you process your emotions, she spoke again.

“... you know I still don’t entirely support this. I’m putting a lot of trust into your abilities.”

You swallowed dryly. “You know I can do it, Mako. You should be proud- the PPDC is going back into business because of this.”

“Yes.” She murmured faintly. Were her shoulders shaking? “... I’ll begin contacting the necessary personnel for you to begin construction. You are dismissed.”

Your internal celebration dimmed a bit in response to her subdued reaction, but nevertheless, you responded your assent and went for the door. The moment your fingers touched the handle, however, she said your name from behind and you looked over your shoulder.

Mako gave you a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Congratulations.”

Despite your mixed emotions, you returned it with a small salute and a smirk before leaving her quarters. 

You had a lot of work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel kind of bad bullying Newt, but he's one of those comfort characters who's also a confront character, you know?


	5. Sentinels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance for how Newt-light this chapter is. But hey, there's another guest appearance you'll probably enjoy!

Someone was yelling your name over the deafening thrum of the helicopter.

Snapped away from your observation of the MegaTokyo skyline, you looked up into the cockpit. One of the pilots was looking over his shoulder at you, gesturing for you to turn your headset on. You turned the dial on the side of the headset and his voice came through to you in a crackle of static.

“We’re going to be landing in about five minutes. Chief Kohn is waiting for you on the hangar.”

You gave him a wordless thumbs up, waiting for him to turn back around before shifting uncomfortably in your military uniform. You hadn’t put it on since your induction at the Jaeger Academy, and it was a little tight through the shoulders.  _ ‘How did Stacker manage to wear this thing so often?’ _

Below, the skyline began wheeling in a tight circle as the copter zeroed in on its destination. A building you assumed was the UN’s embassy, stretching much higher over all the other skyscrapers, came closer into view as you descended. As the copter circled around its landing pad, the sharp wind from the open doors whipping your hair in front of your eyes, you made out the faint figures standing below. Chief Kohn and a smattering of security detail, awaiting your arrival. Standing with them was a tall blonde drink of water you’d recognize anywhere.

The copter landed with a bone-jarring shudder, and you unclasped your seatbelt eagerly. You hated flying. As soon as the pilot gave you the thumbs-up, you jumped from the claustrophobic space onto sweet, welcoming solid ground. The moment you were upright, you found yourself wrapped up in the strong arms of one of your oldest friends.

“Hey, Tinkerbell!”

Raleigh Becket held you out at arm’s length, smiling so wide you thought his cheeks would split. “Oh, man, it’s been ages! You look amazing!”

“Oof- not so bad yourself, big guy.” You said warmly, grasping his shoulders. “I had no idea you were the pilot they stuck me with!”

His hair was a little longer and he’d grown a dark blonde scruff of a beard, but aside from that, the past two years had been kind to him. Raleigh had retired from Jaeger piloting after the end of the war, opting instead to serve as an instructor at the Jaeger Academy. Just what you’d expect from one of the Golden Days’ biggest stars. 

Chief Kohn approached the two of you as you pulled away, standing at attention. He grasped your hand, giving it a firm shake. “Good to see you in person, Chief.” You said warmly. His stony features betrayed no expression, but he gave you a respectful nod as he addressed you by your name and rank.

“There isn’t much time for niceties, I’m afraid. The press has already gathered downstairs. Both of you are expected in about ten minutes. Do you have your statement ready?”

“Yes sir.” You said cordially, as Raleigh tried to suppress his smile. Kohn nodded again.

“Very well. Follow me, please.”

He spun around on one heel and began walking toward the roof’s entry door. Raleigh leaned in close, barely speaking above a whisper.

“Excited about your first press conference?”

You smirked, elbowing him in the side. “We can’t all be rockstars like you. What’s the press looking like?”

“Every reporter from here to Kansas.”

You sighed. “Great.”

The security detail took up their positions beside you and Raleigh, lapsing you both into silence. As your group entered the building and approached the elevator at the far end of the corridor, you kept stealing glances around the place. The embassy was a far cry from the Shatterdome- floor-to-ceiling windows, gleaming white walls, and shimmery holographic UN logos emblazoned on every other surface. The elevator was no different, big enough to house your entire escort. As it began to roll down to the ground level, it didn’t rattle once. The silence made you feel uneasy.

And yet, as you got closer to the floor where you were giving your press conference, the silence was slowly filled with the muffled babble of reporters. You spared a glance at Raleigh, who shot you a wink and mouthed “you’ve got this.”

You hoped he was telling the truth.

The elevator doors opened to a wall of press, cameras flashing and voices shouting over one another as they tried to force microphones into your face. The security guards kept them held off as you followed Chief Kohn to the UN’s board room. It felt like you were in the middle of a circling crowd of vultures, and it was all you could do not to hide your face from the forceful intrusion of the cameras.

The board room wasn’t any better, as every reporter stood from their seats the moment you were escorted into the room. Your fingers brushed Raleigh’s and he grabbed your hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze, before moving his hand up to your shoulder and guiding you up to the podium.

It all happened very quickly. The moment you made it up to the podium and looked down at the sea of expectant journalists, you felt like you were going to be sick. All that time spent with machines had dimmed your opinion of people.

Chief Kohn took his place behind the podium’s microphone as you and Raleigh stood at attention beside him. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “residents of MegaTokyo and beyond. Many of you may have been aware of the news following the re-opening of the Hong Kong Shatterdome and the resurgence of the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps back into the public eye.”

There was a smattering of applause.

“Here now to announce the newest addition on behalf of the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps is Chief Jaeger engineer,” he peered at his paperwork and carefully said your name, “accompanied by former Gipsy Danger pilot, Raleigh Becket.”

The applause gave way to cheers as Kohn stood aside, letting you step up to the podium in his place. For some, absurd reason, the thought of Newt crossed your mind. You hoped he was seeing this.

“Good morning.” You began warmly, giving the cameras what you thought was your best publicity smile. “I’m here on behalf of Secretary-General Mako Mori to speak for the PPDC.”

The crowd of journalists had lapsed into expectant silence, and the only noises aside from your voice were the repetitive snapping of camera shutters. 

“As you know, following the collapse of the Breach in 2025, the PPDC has remained a neutral party opting instead to focus on upgrading and improving our Jaeger technology. I have personally overseen many of those upgrades, and over the course of the last few months, Secretary-General Mori and I have been involved in discussions with the United Nations to bring Jaeger back into the public eye.”

You took a second to gather your thoughts as the large screen behind the podium flickered to life.

“It is my pleasure to announce that the MegaTokyo Police Department will be rolling out our latest line of mechs, for use in domestic law enforcement. I give to you…”

The screen became emblazoned with a picture of the Mark-6 design, free from its construction podium and gleaming in the light. The crowd let out a collective gasp. You grinned, gesturing to the image proudly. 

_ “The Jaeger Sentinels!” _

There was a roar of applause, so loud you could barely hear yourself think. You saw Raleigh smile proudly as you looked out at the crowd. It was everything you’d ever hoped for. Once they quieted down, you cleared your throat. “I will now be taking questions.”

“Miss! Miss!” A nervous-looking man in an ill-fitting suit stood up from the front row, notepad ready in his hand. “Are they still being piloted by humans?”

_ ‘Well, that didn’t take long.’  _ You thought wryly.

“The Sentinels are designed to be controlled remotely by an AI of my own design, connected to my brain via a neural uplink.” 

The man narrowed his eyes. “Did you design this uplink?”

“Actually, that was, uh…” you chuckled. “I would like to credit Dr. Newton Geiszler for that idea.”

Another reporter flagged for your attention, this time a stony-faced woman who didn’t look at all happy to be there. “Does the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps have any plans to extend these… Sentinels to further cities?”

You nodded. “Following a trial run, they should be in all major world cities by the end of next year.”

The questions kept coming, one after the other, and you kept answering each one as honestly as you could as the image of the Sentinel glowed on the screen behind you. The flashing lights of the cameras danced in and out of your vision, and in that moment, you thought that nothing could ever get better.

You’d done it.

~*~

“Cheers!”

Raleigh clinked his champagne flute against yours, arm slung around your shoulders. The press conference had stretched on longer than intended, and you’d been ushered straight to the UN’s lavish celebration afterward. 

The room was all politicians, UN officials, and other people who were probably equally important. Frankly, you didn’t really care whose hand you were shaking, you were just excited to get back to the Shatterdome after everything was over.

Regardless, Raleigh was determined to give you a good time before you went back to work.

“So, how’s it feel being a rockstar?” He slurred in your ear, already tipsy. You scoffed, tossing back your champagne in one gulp. 

“Doesn’t mean much if I can’t follow through. Being around all these bigwigs makes my uniform itchy.”

“I still don’t know why you’re wearing that thing. It  _ is _ a black-tie event.” He tugged at his bowtie playfully. You had to admit, the guy looked good in a tuxedo. “Don’t you have any fancy gowns in that docking bay of yours?”

_ “Please. _ It was hard enough ironing this thing.”

Another nameless face approached you with congratulatory words and a firm handshake, and you passed your empty glass to Raleigh so you could return it. He was gone just as quickly. 

You leaned back over within Raleigh’s earshot, muttering just loud enough so he could hear you. “Who was that?”

“Umm…” Raleigh followed the man with his gaze. “I think that was the President of France.”

“Huh. Shorter than I expected.” You took your glass back from him, idly swirling it in your hand. The taller man squinted down at you, tilting his head.

“Everything okay? You seem kind of distracted.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, just…” you stared down into your empty glass. The room felt too small all of a sudden. “Just thinking, I uh… I promised Newt I would help him with something once I got back to the ‘Dome.”

“Newt?” Raleigh spluttered incredulously. _ “Newton Geiszler? _ I thought you hated him.”

“Well, I mean- I do, or something, but…” You sighed, gesturing vaguely. “A promise is a promise, you know? I’m just hoping he’ll wait for me to get back before he, uh… does it without me.”

He raised an eyebrow, sipping his drink. “I leave for two years and suddenly you’re carrying a torch for that guy?”

An inexplicable blush crept up your neck. “You can’t always be around to keep an eye on me, pal.” You responded warmly, clapping him on the shoulder. He grabbed a half-empty bottle of champagne off of a nearby table and messily filled your glass.

“Well, whatever the case, let’s give you a good time before you have to go back into that oversized aircraft carrier. Here’s to the Sentinels.”

You chuckled, clinking your glass to his again. “To the Sentinels.”

~*~

_ ‘God, I hate Raleigh Becket.’ _

You knelt back on your haunches, wiping at your mouth as you flushed the toilet. Your stomach was roiling, each agonizing pang of nausea making your vision foggy. You hadn’t been this hungover since the night the Breach was destroyed. The floor was uneven under you as you clambered to your feet, pressing a hand to your forehead.

“Fucking pilots…” you groaned, trudging out of the bathroom and back into your quarters. “Goddamn party animals, all of them.” 

You didn’t really remember the flight back to the Shatterdome, or the walk down to your quarters. Your uniform was discarded in rumpled pieces beside your bed.

On your work desk, JOANA’s glowing circle spun.  _ “Good morning. It is 11:24 am.” _

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Jo.” Sitting down heavily in your chair, you groaned again. “Did I miss any calls?”

_ “You have one new call from ‘Lizard Lover’, timestamped at 1:32 am. Would you like to hear the voicemail?” _

“Great. Yeah. Sure.” It felt like your head was about to explode.

JOANA’s modulated voice gave way to Newt’s shrill exclamations, making your head throb even harder.  _ “Hey! I just watched the press conference, I can’t believe you mentioned my name. I should be honored that you’d get over your own ego for more than thirty seconds to remember me.” _

“Prick.” you muttered darkly.

_ “Anyway, I isolated the Kaiju’s brain in its own tank and got it to the lab. So… if you still wanna help with the Drift and you aren’t too hungover tomorrow, come by the lab at noon. I’ll save a cup of coffee on the desk for ya. Um… yeah. Have fun, party animal!” _

The call ended with a ‘click’. You stared at the now-blank monitor. Right. Kaiju Drift. You were kind of surprised he was being so insistent- but then again, it  _ was _ Newt you were talking about. With a heavy groan, you hauled yourself to your feet and began searching for clean clothes.

You  _ did _ make him a promise. And besides, you could really use that cup of coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God Raleigh is such a himbo and I just wanna be his best friend is that too much to ask


End file.
